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Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin, center, runs between Colorado defensive back Evan Worthington, left, and defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson for a long gain in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) David Zalubowski, AP

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin, center, runs between Colorado defensive back Evan Worthington, left, and defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson for a long gain in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
David Zalubowski, AP

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2019, file photo, Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu (99) looks at the scoreboard as he sits on the bench in the second half in an NCAA college football game against California, in Salt Lake City. Fotu was selected to The Associated Press All-Pac 12 Conference team, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) AP

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2019, file photo, Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu (99) looks at the scoreboard as he sits on the bench in the second half in an NCAA college football game against California, in Salt Lake City. Fotu was selected to The Associated Press All-Pac 12 Conference team, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
AP

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Isaiah Simmons places an Arizona Cardinals cap on his head after being selected as the number eight overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. NFL Handout Photo, Handout Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Isaiah Simmons places an Arizona Cardinals cap on his head after being selected as the number eight overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
NFL Handout Photo, Handout Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson Tigers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (11) in the College Football Playoff national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. John David Mercer, John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Clemson Tigers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (11) in the College Football Playoff national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
John David Mercer, John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson Tigers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (11) during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. Ric Tapia, AP

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Clemson Tigers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (11) during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz.
Ric Tapia, AP

Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons leaves the field after losing the College Football Playoff national championship game against LSU at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Jan. 13, 2020 in New Orleans. Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons leaves the field after losing the College Football Playoff national championship game against LSU at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Jan. 13, 2020 in New Orleans.
Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Simmons was a two-time Kansas high school long jump champion growing up in Olathe, Kansas. Victor Simmons

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Isaiah Simmons was a two-time Kansas high school long jump champion growing up in Olathe, Kansas.
Victor Simmons

Before he was a star football player at Clemson, Isaiah Simmons was a standout in track and field in Kansas, excelling in the 400 meters and the long jump. Victor Simmons

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Before he was a star football player at Clemson, Isaiah Simmons was a standout in track and field in Kansas, excelling in the 400 meters and the long jump.
Victor Simmons

Clemson defensive standout Isaiah Simmons won his first track and field medal as a 7-year-old filling in on a relay team in Olathe, Kansas. Victor Simmons

Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Clemson defensive standout Isaiah Simmons won his first track and field medal as a 7-year-old filling in on a relay team in Olathe, Kansas.
Victor Simmons

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Arizona Cardinals selections in 2020 NFL Draft

Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin, center, runs between Colorado defensive back Evan Worthington, left, and defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson for a long gain in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Cardinals entered the second day of the NFL draft without a pick in the second round on Friday and with so many highly-rated prospects still available, it gave General Manager Steve Keim plenty of time to ponder if it was worth making a trade to try and get in on some of the fun.

When you use your second-round pick as an earlier trade chip to haul in a jackpot like superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans, though, you’ve pretty much already won the day.

“I still can’t believe they got Hopkins,” NFL Network analyst Charles Davis told The Republic. “I think we all had the same reaction. I checked my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st.”

Keim’s phone was busy Friday night but he said nothing ever got serious, so he and the Cardinals waited patiently until they picked again in the third round. Turns out, it was worth the wait.

Just like Arizona’s selection of former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons with the No.8 pick overall in the first round on Thursday night, Keim and the Cardinals think they ended up with another gem of a steal in University of Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones with pick No.72.

Though some draft evaluators weren’t too impressed with his efforts at the Senior Bowl and believe it may take two to three years until he develops into a potential starter, many NFL scouts had him rated with a first-round grade and some projected him as the fifth-best offensive lineman overall.

Keim said he was “shocked” that Jones was still available, saying, “We did not expect him to be there” and adding “2020 is our year, I guess.”

Jones played left tackle in college, but the Cardinals need a starting right tackle for the future and likely will groom him as the fit there in short order. Arizona already has two other right tackles on the roster in veteran Marcus Gilbert and Justin Murray, but Jones said he’s ready to compete for a starting role now.

“I’d say right away, man. I feel like I’m ready to play at that level against a lot of great guys,” Jones told reporters during a conference call Friday night. “The Cardinals got a good one and I’m coming in there ready to work.”

Coach Kliff Kingsbury, who recruited Jones when he was still coaching at Texas Tech, said he admired Jones’ competitiveness, but wasn’t ready to say if Jones is capable of fending off either Gilbert or Justin Murray at this point.

“You want him to have confidence, obviously. You want him to believe he can come in and play right away,” Kingsbury said. “But it will be a jump. We know that. Having Marcus healthy, which we’re all hopeful he will be, and having Justin back, who we thought developed tremendously over the course of the season … so to not have to rush him into a spot I think is going to be helpful.”

A knee injury limited the 6-foot-5, 319-pound Jones to nine starts last season, which may have been another reason why he dropped out of the first and second rounds Friday night and into the laps of the Cardinals, who knew they had to add to their offensive line in an effort to further protect quarterback Kyler Murray, their franchise player.

Murray was sacked a league high-tying 48 times as a rookie, although about half of those sacks were because Murray either ran out of bounds shy of the first-down marker or went to the ground himself to avoid taking a needless heavy hit.

Jones, 22, said he can’t wait to play with Murray and “a rising team” like the Cardinals and said he’s familiar with a fast-paced offensive system like Kingsbury’s.

“I’m used to going fast, moving fast, and picking up things at a quick speed,” he said, adding of Murray, “I’m excited, man. I watched him in college. His senior year, I think he had like the most touchdowns ever and it was amazing to watch. He made everybody’s job easier. Every single time I’m protecting for him, I’m going to give it my all out there and make sure he’s kept clean as much as I can.”

Jones played under multiple offensive looks during his time with the Cougars and it taught him to be ready for anything, he said. The most important thing he learned was how to take care of his body and stay in shape, so he would be ready every week.

“Especially with running that many plays in such a short period of time,” he said.

The final day of the draft wraps up Saturday with rounds four through seven and the Cardinals presently have four picks remaining – two in the fourth round (Nos. 114 and 131), one in the sixth (No.202) and one in the seventh (No.222).

“We’re going to do the same thing and stick to the board and trust the process,” Keim said when asked how he planned to attack the final day of the draft. “There aren’t many positions that we wouldn’t take, so no matter of it’s an offensive or defensive player, I just want to continue to make sure that we trust our board and stay true to it.

“You get yourself in trouble when you start to veer away and do some things just to be different, so I think we’ll stay true to our board and continue to trust the work that our scouts and our coaches pout in and make sound decisions for this organization moving forward.”

Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live on Fox Sports 910-AM every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch and every Wednesday night from 7-9 on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.